2024 has been a tantalising year for Indian sports fans. They have had their share of heartbreaks, experienced the anguish of countless "so-near-yet-so-far" moments and have even been forced to cheer for our arch-rivals at times. But amid all this, they have also had the good fortune of witnessing some historic triumphs — the tales of which would be told for generations to come.
The double gold at the Chess Olympiad, the men's cricket team's T20 World Cup win, Manu Bhaker's dual glory as well as the hockey team's podium finish at the Paris Olympics — all will be etched in history as milestones that redefined the journey of the sport and transformed the athletes into mainstream superstars. No matter what happens over the next two months, chapter 2024 is set to be written on the golden pages of Indian sporting lore.
In the meantime, far from all the fanfare, another sport has seen India take giant strides forward. But alas, for all the progress made this year, unlike shooting or hockey, the sport does not have an Olympic medal to flaunt. Hence, it doesn't find itself being anywhere near the heart of the conversation.
Take a closer look at what Indian table tennis has achieved in 2024. For the first time, both men's and women's team qualified for the Olympics — the women's team even made it to the quarterfinals. In the single's event at Paris, two paddlers made history by reaching the pre-quarterfinals. Sreeja Akula even won a WTT Contender's tournament. And to top it all, the Indian contingent returned with three medals from the Asian Championship last month.
Apart from this, every Indian paddler has seemed to punch above his/her weight. Ayhika Mukherjee defeated World No. 1. Manika Batra took down heavyweights like Wang Manyu, Bernadette Szocs and Nina Mittelham. Manav Thakker beat Jang Woojin and along with Manush Shah, made it to the prequarterfinals of the Asian Championship. Sreeja Akula broke into the world's top 25.
While Indian table tennis might not have the big shiny trophy that dominates the headlines, these accolades are symptoms of its good health and point towards an iridescent future. Sportskeeda delved further into the topic by indulging in an exclusive chat with two time Olympian Mouma Das. The West Bengal paddler gave us keen insights into what has helped these players improve and how India's image in the world of table tennis is getting better by the day.
This conversation took place a couple of weeks ago, following Ayhika and Sutirtha's bronze medal run at the Asian Championship. Here are some excerpts:-
Q: Sutirtha and Ayhika Mukherjee won the bronze medal at the Asian Championship yesterday. How big an achievement is this?
Mouma Das: It is a very big achievement. Normally, we have won a lot of medals in the Commonwealth Games. But these guys first won a medal in the Asian Games double’s (event), then a medal at the team event at the Asian Championship and now here again in double’s… Unexpected! Because Asians are very good at table tennis. Both are playing really well. Their world rankings are also very good. Especially Ayhika has performed really well. Even in the world championship (held in February), she defeated world no. 1. Both are really playing well.
Q: How do you rate the overall progress we have seen this year?
Mouma Das: Oh, very good. It was the first time we participated in the team event at the Olympics and in the first time itself they played the pre-quarters. We fell slightly short. Though the draw was in our favour. There was no China, Japan or Korea (in the first round). All three — Archana, Sreeja, Manika — played really well. It was unexpected.
Q: How much has Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) contributed to this progress?
Mouma Das: There is a big contribution (of UTT). Because when we play UTT, we not only play matches with high-ranked international players but we also get the chance to practice with them. It brings about a change in our speed. Normally, when we play tournaments, we only meet those players during the match. But (here,) what do they do before the match, during the match, if they lose how do they take it and plan for the next match — we get to know this from up close that what all a good player does. That is worth learning. Then, every player gets the opportunity to play and practise with good foreign players. In that, your own game improves a lot.
Q: Manav Thakker defeated Jang Woojin. Before this we also saw him give a good fight to World No. 1 at the Olympics.....
Mouma Das: Yes, he gave a good fight! He is quite young and there is good progress in his game. In the Asian Championship, we got to know how well he is playing. He is performing really well.
Q: What is it about him? What makes him such a special player?
Mouma Das: I haven’t seen him much. He is quite younger than me. Last, I competed in internationals was in 2018. Then, I had my baby, and only recently, I started playing in the domestics once again. So, I have seen him only for the last couple of years. He is good. He has a lot of control over his game. His service is pretty good. He is very focused and also very aggressive. From the first point to the last point, he doesn’t let it loose. Those are positive signs. He is very hardworking too.
Q: His partner in the double's event - Manush Shah - also defeated World No. 23. Tell us something about him.
Mouma Das: Manush, I have only seen him this year. He is a lefty and deploys a lot of variations in his top-spin. It is difficult because it goes wild. Also, these guys are pretty young. When they play against a foreign player, they are able to showcase their skillset. There isn’t much tension and everything is positive. That is the good thing that they all play positively and then, when a medal is secured, it motivates everyone. For a number of years now, Indian team has been doing really well in table tennis. They have been defeating players from all countries. Even China is wary when they have a match against an Indian player, they don’t take us lightly. And then, they are training abroad, na. All these youngsters train abroad. No one trains in India. Everyone has their own personal coaches. So, they are improving a lot.
Q: Talking of this Asian Championship, there were expectation aplenty in the women's singles event, especially from Manika and Sreeja. But here the returns weren't quite up to the mark?
Mouma Das: You can’t say that everyday a person will play the same. Sitting outside you can say, “oh this was an easy shot”. But only the one who is playing knows what is happening during the match. Bringing a medal in Asian Championship in table tennis is very hard. I played for so many years, from 1997 to 2018. In the Asian Championship, I even played the quarterfinals but never got into a semifinal. So, these guys have improved a lot. Maybe another one or two years and they can even play the final and perhaps achieve the Olympic medal also. Not everyday is the same for the players but they are trying their level best.
Q: Lastly, would you like to give out any message to the youngsters who might read through this interview?
Mouma Das: The message is that more and more people should get into sports. Table tennis is a game that is not stressful. Everybody plays table tennis — be it professionally, unprofessionally. It is a really enjoyable sport. If it sparks your interest once, you’d never leave it. Seeing Manika, Sharath, Sreeja, Sathiyan etc. will serve as a motivation too, that you can get a medal in this sport. The end goal is to win a medal for the country. Nothing is bigger than that.
The elimination of the sport from the next edition of the Commonwealth Games has definitely been a setback. However, the comprehensive progress Indian table tennis has seen augurs for a bright future. Overall, India might not be too far away from achieving the big shiny trophy which enables it to eventually become the talk of the town.